WHEN Graham Moore lost more than three stone in weight and got crippling pains in his stomach he feared the worst.

His first thought was that it could be cancer but six months later health experts had still not diagnosed his condition.

Then in 2003 the offshore production worker from Yearby was told he had Crohn’s Disease.

This is an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) that affects approximately 60,000 people in the UK. And now Graham wants to give hope to others with the condition.

It causes inflammation, deep ulcers and scarring to the wall of the intestine or colon which leads to symptoms such as pain in the abdomen, urgent diarrhoea, general tiredness and loss of weight.

Before he was diagnosed 60-year-old Graham, was confined to his house.

“I could not go out, I could not go in the car. I lost three stone, 4lb, in three months.

“I was on morphine day and night but the pain was horrendous.

“All my friends thought I was going to die because of the pain. My wife would not even let my daughter come up with the kids because I looked so ill.”

Once diagnosed he was put on a course of 240 steroids and within three days he started to pick up.

“I was just relieved it was not cancer,” said Graham, but he had never heard of Crohn’s Disease.

“I think the public do need to know more about it and how people do suffer.

“I have been very lucky, the shops I have asked have been no problem whatsoever.

“The difficult thing is when you go abroad and toilets are fewer.”

In the 1960s 25% of people with Crohn’s Disease died because doctors did not know how to treat it.

Graham’s condition was stabilised by drugs and now, apart from watching what he eats, he does not let it stop him doing anything.

The former Navy serviceman and ICI worker has not had a day off work since and has travelled all over the world.

“You have got to get on with life,” he said. “You can’t let it rule your life.”

He said he gets amazing support from the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease who provide sufferers with a card which explains to businesses that the condition is not infectious but that the holder of the card urgently needs to use their toilet.

For more details visit www.nacc.org.uk or call the national helpline 0845 130 3344.

Alternatively contact the Tees support group on 0845 130 6843 or Tees@groups.nacc.org.uk